TENSION RISE AFTER SHOOTING IN HEBRON

January 2,1997

On January 1 1997, a young soldier from the Jewish settlement of Ma'aleh Adummim fired an entire clip of his army issued M16 on passers-by in the market of the Palestinian city of Hebron. Seven Palestinians were injured including two children.

The attack immediately followed a demonstration by the far right Israeli political party Moledat, which took place in the center of Hebron.

The 19 year old, soldier stated that his reasons for opening fire was to derail the negotiations on Israeli redeployment from Hebron.

After the attack, settlers rampaged through Hebron, chasing and beating Palestinians seriously injuring eight, including children. A two hour curfew was clamped on the city.

LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment strongly condemns the attack and the continuing presence of the inflammatory Jewish settlements in the heart of Hebron. LAW believes that as long as settlers remain in the middle of Hebron city, tragic violence like this latest action will continue to take place.

The presence of the Jewish settlers has been condemned and is considered illegal by the international community, including the United States. LAW calls for the immediate evacuation of the settlements and the Israeli army from the heart of Hebron, and for the Israeli soldiers to be tried and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

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LAW- The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment is a non-governmental organization, dedicated to preserving human rights through legal advocacy. LAW is also affiliate member of the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights.